David Ortiz’s advice to Celtics? ‘You can’t try to win 3 games at once’
Nearly 19 years ago, Hall of Famer David Ortiz helped the Red Sox become the first (and only) team in MLB history to overcome an 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven postseason series. Earlier this week, he gave some advice to the Celtics, who are trying to become the first team in NBA history to accomplish the same feat.
21+ and present in Massachusetts. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.Speaking at his charity golf tournament in Newton, Ortiz told The Associated Press’ Ken Powtak that the key to a Celtics’ comeback will be taking things one game at a time. The C’s and Heat will play Game 4 on Tuesday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
“Being 3-0, you’ve got two choices: You either quit or you go back out, and in professional sports, once you get to that point, there’s no way to quit,” Ortiz told the AP. “Once you get there — even if you’re 3-0 — you’re not thinking about quitting, you’re thinking about ‘OK, I hit bottom. I’ve got to go step-by-step now. I cannot try to win three games at once.’”
The Celtics find themselves in a similar position as the 2004 Red Sox did, as both teams were blown out in Game 3 of their respective series. Almost two decades ago, the Yankees took Game 3, 19-8, at Fenway Park; on Sunday, the Heat got ahead early and won by a 26-point margin, 128-102.
- Massachusetts online sports betting is live. Learn more about the top sportsbook operators in Mass. such as FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM to find the best offers available.
The Red Sox, of course, rattled off four straight wins and eventually swept the Cardinals to win their first World Series in 86 years. The Celtics are facing long odds to repeat the same feat, as NBA teams are 0-150 in series when trailing by three games.
Still, Ortiz is keeping the faith.
“There’d be no better time than this one for that happen,” Ortiz said. “If you do it in basketball, it’s got to be the same city. You know what I’m saying.”
